A Way To Think About Chronic Problems

A lot of my time professionally involves working with others who are trying to manage diseases and disabilities that can’t be cured instantaneously. Even for those where surgical solutions exist that are curative in nature, there is still usually a phase of recovery that may modify or limit certain activities for days, weeks, months and in some cases years.

At first when people are given a diagnosis, they expect there to be a cure; that someone lke me has the knowledge and skill to solve their problem. This is a fair assumption given the fact that in political circles people talk all the time about “health entitlements.” And even if one believes healthcare should be funded one way or another, it doesn’t remove the more important fact that there are certain ailments that cannot be cured regardless of the amount of money available for care.

When facing the management of a chronic condition like periodontal disease, diabetes, hypertention, obesity and hundreds of other medical and dental problems, it is important that each of us, when we are the patient, sets our mind as to what we are willing do to help ourselves. One of my favorite questions when discussing research with investigators is to ask, “Will your [procedure, medication, invention] cure the disease without requiring patient cooperation?” Usually the answer is no. This is not to diminish scientific advancements in the least, but to put into context just how important the patient’s attitude is toward having the best possible outcome. In fact, I will go so far as to say that very often the patient’s attitude about their situation is the most important determiner of therapeutic success or failure.